A 16-year-old boy has been found guilty of killing a worshipper outside a mosque in Small Heath after hitting him around the head with a baseball bat.

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, brutally attacked Saleem Hassan, 21, on June 1 – and then returned to school.

The victim died five days later at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital from serious head injuries.

A jury heard how the teenager hit Mr Hassan twice on the head, the second while he lay motionless on the floor. He was arrested two days after the attack.

The 16-year-old will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in January after being convicted of manslaughter.

Wendy Stevens, Senior Crown Prosecutor from West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Saleem Hassan, along with several hundred other worshippers, visited the Noor-Ul-Uloom Mosque for Friday prayers. What is normally a time of harmony and reflection was that day replaced by violence.

“A verbal altercation between the victim and the defendant’s brother took place inside the mosque which then later continued outside on the street.

“The defendant observed the altercation and, rather than avoid getting involved, ran home and picked up a baseball bat with which he returned to the scene and launched an attack on Saleem.

“He struck the victim on the back of the head which resulted in him collapsing to the floor. He then struck him again which resulted in Saleem losing consciousness.

“After this, the defendant returned home, changed his clothes and then went to school.

“This is a tragic case of a feud which erupted inside a place of worship and escalated on to the street. It led to the death of a young man and the conviction today of a 16-year-old boy for manslaughter.